Color vision defects in retinitis pigmentosa

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Genetics
• Vision Science

Background:

• Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of inherited retinal diseases.
• RP leads to progressive vision loss, including color vision impairment.
• Understanding genetic variations' impact on color vision is crucial for patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate color vision performance in retinitis pigmentosa patients.
• To compare color vision testing methods: Nagel anomaloscope and Farnsworth-Munsell (FM) 100-hue test.
• To investigate the influence of RP genetic types on color vision deficits.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-seven patients with retinitis pigmentosa were enrolled.
• Color vision was assessed using the Nagel anomaloscope and the FM 100-hue test.
• Correlation of test results with genetic type and foveal status was analyzed.

Main Results:

• Both tests revealed similarities and differences across genetic types of RP.
• Foveal lesions and reduced visual acuity (<20/30) reliably indicated poor color vision.
• Autosomal dominant RP patients with good visual acuity performed better than other genetic types.
• The FM 100-hue test demonstrated higher sensitivity in detecting color vision deficits than the Nagel anomaloscope.

Conclusions:

• Color vision impairment in retinitis pigmentosa varies by genetic type.
• Foveal status and visual acuity are important indicators of color vision function.
• The FM 100-hue test is a more sensitive tool for assessing color vision in RP patients.